Ian Schon of Schon DSGN has carved out quite a niche for himself in the pen and "everyday carry" communities with his line of contemporary pocket pens, and I find it hard to believe that I haven't managed to review one until now. Schon DSGN pens sport a modern and sophisticated design built around the always-dependable Fisher Space Pen cartridge. According to Ian, they're intended to be "a compact, dependable pen that you can easily carry with you every day," and they certainly hit that mark.
On the left, a limited edition "Classic" that I picked up at the 2017 DC Pen Show; on the right is the standard polished aluminum "Clip" version.
I love Schon DSGN pens for their functionality and design precisely tailored to their intended purpose. Like the Fisher Space Pen "bullet" pen, Schon DSGN pens are best suited to what I call "pocket writing" - for example, short notes, lists, drawings, or jottings in your pocket notebooks - as opposed to drafting novels or journaling. That said, I find them comfortable to write with for occasional longer note-taking sessions, and the pens post to a good length.
Schon DSGN incorporates a longer, narrower grip section that gives you plenty of room to avoid the metal threads. I've had no issues with in terms of comfort when writing with this pen.
Schon DSGN's "Classic" lineup is available in aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, and titanium. The pens are intended to last a lifetime, with the materials chosen to showcase the oxidation and patina that will accumulate from years of use. All of the pens are manufactured in Massachusetts, USA, where Schon DSGN is located.
For packaging, Ian chose to partner with Write Notepads out of Baltimore. Write Notepads makes excellent perfect-bound pocket notebooks, one of which is packaged with each Schon DSGN pen.
One note of caution before you pocket-carry your Schon DSGN pen - the threads that allow you to post the cap securely are fairly sharp, meaning that they can scratch certain other things in your pocket (like a cell phone screen). While of course you should never carry anything in your pocket with your cell phone, absent-minded people (ahem) sometimes don't think about these things and accidents happen.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
I love everything about Schon DSGN pens. They're extremely practical writing instruments perfectly tailored to serve their intended function - pocket writing. Size-wise, the pens are just large enough to remain portable without disappearing forever into the crevices of bags, coats, desks, etc., an issue that I (and others, I presume) have had with the smaller Fisher Space Bullet pens. If you're looking for a smart, durable pocket pen, and especially if you're looking for a "one pen" EDC setup, you won't go wrong with Schon DSGN.
Another shot of my limited edition anodized Classic.
You can purchase Schon DSGN pens directly from their online store, and at select retailers. The polished aluminum pen featured here is from the Clip Collection, which starts at $78.00 for a polished aluminum model (pictured) and also comes available in stainless steel ($108), brass ($138), copper 158), titanium ($188). Clipless versions (the "Classic Collection") are available as well, including some wild anodized aluminum limited-editions ($80) like the navy/gold color combination shown above. Colors on the limited editions change regularly as Ian experiments, and if you run into him at a pen show, you never know what he'll have! Schon DSGN also sells refills directly on their site, as well as a new D1 refill adapter, should you wish to use something other than the Fisher Space Pen refill.
Disclaimer: Schon DSGN sent me this pen for review purposes free of charge.